WEBVTT - El Pollo Loco’s Employee Turnover Bests Peers

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Chopping it Up. I'm your host, Mike Hallen,

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<v Speaker 1>the senior Restaurant and food Service analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.

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<v Speaker 1>Our research and that of bi's five hundred analysts around

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<v Speaker 1>the globe can be found exclusively on the Bloomberg terminal.

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<v Speaker 1>Quick public service announcement. If you like our pod, we'd

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<v Speaker 1>love it if you could leave us a review on

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<v Speaker 1>Apple or Spotify. Today we're joined by Liz Williams, CEO

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<v Speaker 1>of l Poyo Loco. Thanks for doing this.

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<v Speaker 2>Liz, Thanks for having me. Mike.

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<v Speaker 1>Tough loss for ut last night.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh man, I mean it wasn't even the official official bracket.

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<v Speaker 3>We're looking for a new coach this morning though, if

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<v Speaker 3>anyone knows anyone?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh okay, okay, interesting did you fill out a bracket?

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<v Speaker 3>My son did, and I gave him some input, but

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<v Speaker 3>he took none of it.

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<v Speaker 1>So who do you have win in it?

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<v Speaker 3>Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>I can't divulge that.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, all right, fair enough. I have Duke over Saint

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<v Speaker 1>John's in the final.

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<v Speaker 2>I had to.

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<v Speaker 1>Give a little love to the Big East. Yeah, all right,

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<v Speaker 1>good stuff. Please tell me a little bit about your background.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess starting with your time at Taco Bell and

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<v Speaker 1>what drew you to Elpoyo Loco. Yees.

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<v Speaker 3>So most of my career has been in the restaurant space.

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<v Speaker 3>Before that, I was with Boston Consulting Group for many years,

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<v Speaker 3>and then at Taco Bell, I was part of a

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<v Speaker 3>fabulous team. We turned the brand around many years ago

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<v Speaker 3>working for Brian Nicol and just had a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>fun there. I ran the international business. I was CFO

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<v Speaker 3>and then ran the international business. I got to work

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<v Speaker 3>with some fabulous franchise partners the US and across the globe.

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<v Speaker 3>And then after I left Taco Bell, I wanted to

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<v Speaker 3>do some smaller companies private equity, dabbled in the personal

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<v Speaker 3>care space with dry Bar and just some up and

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<v Speaker 3>coming cons and then I got a call from a

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<v Speaker 3>headhunter actually, and she said, I have the perfect fit

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<v Speaker 3>for you, And it truly was Elpoyo Loco back in

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<v Speaker 3>the restaurant space, a brand I'd always admired. I live

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<v Speaker 3>in southern California, just great food, and I always thought, Gosh,

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<v Speaker 3>why hasn't it grown more, Why hasn't it gotten out

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<v Speaker 3>of the West Coast, And I just saw so much

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<v Speaker 3>potential and then the fact that it literally was the

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<v Speaker 3>headquarters was in my backyard out here.

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<v Speaker 2>I was thrilled to.

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<v Speaker 3>Come in and I have a great team that I

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<v Speaker 3>got to join as I came in.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, So for our East Coasters, it's a QSR

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<v Speaker 1>plus positioning, correct, that is right?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, So we sit just between QSR and Fast Casual

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<v Speaker 3>although we have drive throughs, so most of our locations

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<v Speaker 3>have drive throughs, and we're known as having a higher quality.

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<v Speaker 3>So we sit above the traditional QSR players because of

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<v Speaker 3>our quality.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, good stuff is there? You know in your

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<v Speaker 1>part franchise. I think I saw your roughly two thirds

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<v Speaker 1>or seventy percent franchise, is that correct?

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<v Speaker 2>Seventy percent? That's right? Franchise partners.

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<v Speaker 3>And you know we're in seven states, so California is

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<v Speaker 3>where we were born in the US. We were actually

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<v Speaker 3>born in Mexico, but then California and then some western states.

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<v Speaker 3>We are in Texas. We have one restaurant in Louisiana.

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<v Speaker 3>But really the other thing that drew me here was

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<v Speaker 3>just the opportunity for growth. So I've gotten to take

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<v Speaker 3>you know, a brand like Taco Bell and take it internationally.

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<v Speaker 3>This is similar, you know, taking a brand, driving brand awareness,

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<v Speaker 3>positioning the brand so it can go across the United States.

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<v Speaker 1>Is there any uni economic data you can share?

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<v Speaker 3>And economics are great and only getting better. So historically

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<v Speaker 3>this brand had, you know, had margins, you know, high

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<v Speaker 3>teens in excess of twenty percent in the glory days,

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<v Speaker 3>and we see no reason why we can't be back

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<v Speaker 3>in those high teens. And that's what we've told the street.

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<v Speaker 3>Our average unit volumes are two point two million, so

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<v Speaker 3>very healthy there. And you know, in terms of how

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<v Speaker 3>we are looking at the middle of the P and L,

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<v Speaker 3>we think there's still a lot of opportunity and on

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<v Speaker 3>the top line as we drive growth again, I'm really

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<v Speaker 3>excited what we can do just bringing innovation to drive

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<v Speaker 3>growth there. The other piece of unit economics that everyone

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<v Speaker 3>looks at is build costs. When I came in, I

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<v Speaker 3>found our build costs had just gotten completely out of control.

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<v Speaker 3>And I'm pleased to say brought in a great new

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<v Speaker 3>development leader and we've engineered the new development to be

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<v Speaker 3>under two million dollars or targets actually one point eight

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<v Speaker 3>and we're pretty close to that. So when you do

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<v Speaker 3>all those economics, that's finally we're back to a spot

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<v Speaker 3>where people want to grow again, and building that growth

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<v Speaker 3>pipeline has been a lot of fun.

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<v Speaker 1>Great. Can you speak to the consumer demographics of the brand,

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<v Speaker 1>including age, income, methness.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we're pretty evenly split across you know, just what

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<v Speaker 3>the ordinary population would be. We do have some areas

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<v Speaker 3>where we skew, you know, higher Hispanic just being in

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<v Speaker 3>southern California. We're in northern all over California. But you know,

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<v Speaker 3>naturally as California has those demographics, we also you know,

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<v Speaker 3>as the years have gone by and we haven't done

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<v Speaker 3>as much to modernize our demographic has you know, gotten older, however,

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<v Speaker 3>as we are focusing on getting back after that younger

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<v Speaker 3>consumer as well. And when I say younger, I mean

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<v Speaker 3>you know, like twenty five, like in the mid twenties.

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<v Speaker 3>So we're not looking to go after you know, the

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<v Speaker 3>real young kids or you know, of course we love them,

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<v Speaker 3>we want them to come enjoy a play a logo

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<v Speaker 3>as well. But you know, we're the brand that you know,

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<v Speaker 3>you get out of college and you're realizing that you

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<v Speaker 3>can't eat fried food and you know late night QSR

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<v Speaker 3>every every night you want something that's cravable and delicious,

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<v Speaker 3>but grilled is a really good option.

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<v Speaker 2>We're the brand for you, okay.

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<v Speaker 1>Cool. Twenty twenty five seems to be a big year

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<v Speaker 1>for Elpoile Loco. Can you talk about the brand relaunch.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, I'm so excited to relaunch our brand. We've been

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<v Speaker 3>working with a new agency and they're awesome. We are

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<v Speaker 3>targeting mid May to kind of unveil. We've already started

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<v Speaker 3>to unveil a little bit about our new prototype, our

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<v Speaker 3>new look and feel. And what we've learned is this

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<v Speaker 3>equity we have in quality and equity we have in

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<v Speaker 3>chicken are two great places to start. And chickens are

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<v Speaker 3>growing category. Mexicans are growing category. And so when we

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<v Speaker 3>weave in the chicken with Mexican flavors and really focus

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<v Speaker 3>on the fact that we hand chop our food, we

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<v Speaker 3>cook our food for real, We really cook our chicken

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<v Speaker 3>in the restaurants, unlike some of our competitors. Once we

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<v Speaker 3>showcase that in this new some of these new spots

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<v Speaker 3>that we're filming, I think it's really going to come

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<v Speaker 3>to life for Pule. And then the other piece is

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<v Speaker 3>we want to show people that you know, it's we

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<v Speaker 3>have Loco in our name.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, Loco means so much.

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<v Speaker 3>I know it means crazy, but we think it's crazy

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<v Speaker 3>that you wouldn't cook food the real way, So we

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<v Speaker 3>want to get that message out. We're not the crazy ones.

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<v Speaker 3>It's crazy to not do all the things that we

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<v Speaker 3>do to take care of our food.

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<v Speaker 1>How's the CASA test going?

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<v Speaker 2>Really well, it's delicious. Uh.

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<v Speaker 3>We've landed on an insight that people, you know, while

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<v Speaker 3>they do want to, you know, eat things that at

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<v Speaker 3>times are better for them. So we we do really

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<v Speaker 3>well on salads. We mix about twenty percent on salads

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<v Speaker 3>and bowls, which is pretty high for QSR. But we

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<v Speaker 3>also serve great, craveable, cheesy, uey, gouey food as well,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's where the Casadia fits a different occasion eating occasion.

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<v Speaker 3>And the thing that also has been a huge win

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<v Speaker 3>is the port of ability. Of course, you know, everyone

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<v Speaker 3>is just only getting busier and on the go, and

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<v Speaker 3>the case da is one of those products that that

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<v Speaker 3>is great for on the go. And it also features

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<v Speaker 3>a new Chipotle sauce that's I think I'm addicted to.

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<v Speaker 1>I love a good Chipotle sauce. I can't think of

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<v Speaker 1>Casey d as without thinking about Napoleon Dynamite any thought

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<v Speaker 1>of having Napoleon Dynamite's mom promoted me. I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if twenty five year olds even know about her. And

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<v Speaker 1>you know which is fix yourself a dang case, Adylla.

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<v Speaker 2>I'll pass that on to our marketing team. You know.

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<v Speaker 3>One of the things that we've we've unlocked as well

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<v Speaker 3>is the Casadia is delicious when you dip it in

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<v Speaker 3>the homemade guacamole, which that's another one of our strengths.

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<v Speaker 3>We make our guacamole fresh in our restaurants every single day,

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<v Speaker 3>whereas a lot of our competitors, you know, bring in,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, guacamole that's was.

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<v Speaker 2>Made weeks ago.

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<v Speaker 3>So I, you know, get the Casadia and dip it

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<v Speaker 3>in some awesome guacamole.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the way to do it. I make a mean

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<v Speaker 1>gualk myself.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll have to share recipes.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah, for sure, I'd be happy to why a

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<v Speaker 1>summer launch. Our sales typically strong in the summer for

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<v Speaker 1>you or there? Are you lapping a successful promotion from

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<v Speaker 1>last year? Is there something else.

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<v Speaker 2>For the Casadia?

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<v Speaker 3>You know, we've just got a lot of innovation that

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<v Speaker 3>we're trying to balance. We're actually we've been having a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of conversations on when the Casadia should launch. It's

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<v Speaker 3>doing well in test and you know, should we launch

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<v Speaker 3>it sooner. We've also got our Fresco wraps and Fresca

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<v Speaker 3>salad launching as we get into the later spring and summer.

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<v Speaker 3>It's always a great time to launch a new salad

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<v Speaker 3>and a wrap in the summertime, you know, swimsuit season,

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<v Speaker 3>especially out here, so I guess everywhere across America. And

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<v Speaker 3>we're bringing new Citrus vinigarette, which is also delicious. So

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<v Speaker 3>we're just trying to balance, you know, getting the attention

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<v Speaker 3>of our consumer. Is it too many products and how

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<v Speaker 3>do we pay some sequence?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so, yeah, we're going to see a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>food and innovation that's exciting. How many units have been

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<v Speaker 1>remodeled and what kind of lift are they seeing.

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<v Speaker 3>We're in the process of kicking off a new or

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<v Speaker 3>newer update for new builds that were then transferring over

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<v Speaker 3>to our remodels. I'm excited because when you look over

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<v Speaker 3>the next three years, about half of our restaurants are

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<v Speaker 3>due for a remodel. And what that means is you're

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<v Speaker 3>really going to see us show up with this new remodel,

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<v Speaker 3>the lift that we're seeing. We haven't disclosed any data

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<v Speaker 3>yet only because the few that we've done with this

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<v Speaker 3>new prototype, we just don't have enough to put the

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<v Speaker 3>number out there. I'm hoping in the next couple of

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<v Speaker 3>months we'll be able to. I know, we'll have enough

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<v Speaker 3>that I can put that number out. But anecdotally, what

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<v Speaker 3>I'm seeing is a nice lift and a nice return.

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<v Speaker 3>So I'm pleased with what we're seeing. It's I'm getting

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<v Speaker 3>great customer feedback and I'm getting great team member feedback.

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<v Speaker 3>Just the light bright modern I know, I keep saying modern,

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<v Speaker 3>but modern aesthetic is really resonating with people.

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<v Speaker 1>Great. Why the considerable gap between company owned same source

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<v Speaker 1>sales and franchise same source sales in that fourth quarter.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, it was a a variance in mostly in pricing,

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<v Speaker 3>so just different timing of pricing. Franchises took a little

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<v Speaker 3>more pricing and got upfront with some of that that

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<v Speaker 3>pricing at different times, So that was main the main

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<v Speaker 3>difference there.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, and we touched on the restaurant margin expansion that

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<v Speaker 1>you see going forward one hundred and ninety basis points

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<v Speaker 1>last year. You know, in the environment we were in,

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<v Speaker 1>is very impressive. You're guiding for another increase in twenty

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five. What do you expect to drive the gains

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<v Speaker 1>this year.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, we're really proud of being able to do that

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<v Speaker 2>last year.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, for the listeners that might not have heard

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<v Speaker 3>about the twenty dollars minimum wage in California, you know

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<v Speaker 3>that was something people we're really fearful of the unit

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<v Speaker 3>economics and you know, we we rallied together to think

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<v Speaker 3>through taking labor productivity to the next level. And that's

0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:11.920
<v Speaker 3>what we're going to do. Is you know, as we're

0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:14.160
<v Speaker 3>in twenty five as well, we think there's more we

0:12:14.240 --> 0:12:15.199
<v Speaker 3>can do.

0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:16.600
<v Speaker 2>To drive labor productivity.

0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.200
<v Speaker 3>So as an example, we put new equipment in the

0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:23.120
<v Speaker 3>restaurants to make things easier for our team members. So

0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.720
<v Speaker 3>we used to as we made our salsa by hand,

0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:29.679
<v Speaker 3>we weren't as efficient in things like cutting its veto.

0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:32.720
<v Speaker 3>We put some machinery and helps us cut a tomato faster.

0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.880
<v Speaker 3>As an example, we put kiosks in the restaurants. So

0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:39.640
<v Speaker 3>we're also in the midst right now of deploying a

0:12:39.720 --> 0:12:43.079
<v Speaker 3>new labor deployment software that's going to get us even tighter,

0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:45.800
<v Speaker 3>making sure we have you know, aces in their places

0:12:45.840 --> 0:12:48.640
<v Speaker 3>at the right time. We have great team members, so

0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:52.800
<v Speaker 3>the more we can, you know, help them, they just

0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:55.679
<v Speaker 3>get better service. So we'll see labor productivity and then

0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:59.760
<v Speaker 3>also cost of goods. We've really a huge credit. I

0:12:59.760 --> 0:13:03.480
<v Speaker 3>have a a supply chain leader who's just fantastic and

0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:06.200
<v Speaker 3>he has gone through just about every single thing we

0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:09.280
<v Speaker 3>buy and said, you know, how can we how can

0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:12.800
<v Speaker 3>we just review that and you know, think think through

0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:16.760
<v Speaker 3>things in different ways. So that's been really beneficial as well.

0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:20.480
<v Speaker 1>And you touched on a little bit. You're making a

0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:23.800
<v Speaker 1>lot of investments in restaurant tech and kitchen equipment, so

0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:25.679
<v Speaker 1>if you could expand on a little bit, maybe talk

0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:29.680
<v Speaker 1>about how you've prioritized those investments and the pacing and

0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:31.679
<v Speaker 1>the sequencing of the different initiatives.

0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.880
<v Speaker 3>Yes, it does take pacing and sequencing. I think we

0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.360
<v Speaker 3>all in the restaurant industry want to do things fast,

0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:40.640
<v Speaker 3>but the reality is you can only digest so much.

0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:44.840
<v Speaker 3>So you know, anything that is productivity related or makes

0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:48.600
<v Speaker 3>the team members life easier or the customer's life, you know,

0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:51.400
<v Speaker 3>gets to the front of the line. So as an example,

0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:54.160
<v Speaker 3>our point of sale, we've been in the midst of

0:13:54.200 --> 0:13:57.480
<v Speaker 3>doing a cloud point of sale transition. I have a

0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:01.920
<v Speaker 3>great technology leader who you know has been with us

0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:05.679
<v Speaker 3>for many years and he is already looking at all

0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:08.200
<v Speaker 3>the things then we can plug into this new point

0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:11.680
<v Speaker 3>of sale system again to make team members' lives easier.

0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:16.240
<v Speaker 3>So we've been prioritizing that Kiosks would be the other piece,

0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.640
<v Speaker 3>you know, and there it's really the consumer's life easier.

0:14:20.400 --> 0:14:24.040
<v Speaker 3>You know, how do you make it a seamless transaction

0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:26.880
<v Speaker 3>with the consumer. So we've been you know, looking at

0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:28.920
<v Speaker 3>that really carefully. And then a lot of I know

0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.720
<v Speaker 3>it's not quite tech, but a lot of cooking equipment.

0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.120
<v Speaker 3>So you know, we also are quality is great, but

0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:37.760
<v Speaker 3>how can it get even better? And so we've you know,

0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:40.120
<v Speaker 3>invested in warming cabinets, you know, one of the things

0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:42.520
<v Speaker 3>I am proud of. You know, as I look at

0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:44.600
<v Speaker 3>us as a brand, we're not shy to make the

0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.960
<v Speaker 3>investments that are going to drive drive the future.

0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:50.560
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, So a couple of follow ups on that. I

0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:52.800
<v Speaker 1>think I saw that the warming ovens are going to

0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:55.440
<v Speaker 1>let you shut down the kitchen a half hour earlier.

0:14:55.480 --> 0:14:57.640
<v Speaker 1>That should help you save money on labor or guess

0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.000
<v Speaker 1>on the electric exactly.

0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.600
<v Speaker 3>Yes, yes, and they actually and the you know, best

0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:06.360
<v Speaker 3>part about them is they help the chicken stay more

0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:10.320
<v Speaker 3>moist and juicy. You know, you can just imagine being

0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:13.000
<v Speaker 3>in a kind of like a warming drawer versus you know,

0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:15.560
<v Speaker 3>out on the grill. It's just a better flavor. So

0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:18.680
<v Speaker 3>that's a benefit. But yes, it really helps the team member.

0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:20.640
<v Speaker 3>You know, at the end of their shift, all they

0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:22.640
<v Speaker 3>want to do is you know, clean up and go home,

0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:24.120
<v Speaker 3>and it helps them as well.

0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:29.600
<v Speaker 1>Okay, great, And I would assume that you know you're

0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:33.560
<v Speaker 1>expecting some improvements in turnover and employee turnover.

0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.960
<v Speaker 3>I yes, I think all the things we're doing around

0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:41.160
<v Speaker 3>the other piece of you know that I've prioritized is

0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:46.040
<v Speaker 3>our focus on standards, our focus on training, just like

0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.120
<v Speaker 3>I keep saying, making things easier. All of that does

0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:52.920
<v Speaker 3>help team member turnover. We're very lucky in that we

0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.360
<v Speaker 3>have some of the lowest turnover numbers that I've seen

0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.320
<v Speaker 3>in the industry. I think that's a testament to our culture.

0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:00.920
<v Speaker 3>It's a testament to the brand. We're a brand that

0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:02.080
<v Speaker 3>team members.

0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:02.920
<v Speaker 2>Love to be part of.

0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.880
<v Speaker 3>You know, we have a I would say a familial

0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:09.880
<v Speaker 3>tradition in terms of, you know, how we work together.

0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:13.400
<v Speaker 3>Team members really appreciate that, but I think we can

0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:16.760
<v Speaker 3>always get better on turnover, and so those enhancements will

0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:17.440
<v Speaker 3>certainly help.

0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:20.080
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but I love hearing that you're better than peers.

0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:24.880
<v Speaker 1>That's great. Yeah, Elpoil Local owns and operates, you know,

0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:27.880
<v Speaker 1>thirty percent of the stores. That's a sizable amount. And

0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:31.320
<v Speaker 1>why not refranchise and buy back shares at this multiple.

0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:35.560
<v Speaker 3>We love running our restaurants, you know, we always look

0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:36.920
<v Speaker 3>at every different option.

0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:38.080
<v Speaker 2>I think.

0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:41.440
<v Speaker 3>I know we make a lot of money out of

0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:45.560
<v Speaker 3>our restaurants, and I also appreciate the fact that we

0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:47.920
<v Speaker 3>have skin in the game when it comes to working

0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:51.119
<v Speaker 3>with our franchise partners. You know, we're right there alongside

0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.760
<v Speaker 3>them in terms of trying to grow sales, but also

0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:57.640
<v Speaker 3>really caring about the middle of the P and L.

0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:01.080
<v Speaker 3>And as we invest in all of these initiatives to

0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:04.720
<v Speaker 3>drive better operations, I think it would be really hard

0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:07.440
<v Speaker 3>to do that without owning our own restaurants right now,

0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:10.399
<v Speaker 3>because we can go test things, we can see things,

0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:13.800
<v Speaker 3>you know, can get things better. We have great franchise

0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.359
<v Speaker 3>partners and they test alongside us. We're very fortunate in

0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:19.800
<v Speaker 3>that we're able to do it faster because we can

0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:22.720
<v Speaker 3>do it in both ways, but never say never, you know,

0:17:22.960 --> 0:17:27.400
<v Speaker 3>I think in this industry you've got to always be

0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:30.040
<v Speaker 3>be staying ahead and looking at all your options.

0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:33.320
<v Speaker 1>Okay, so I haven't been to a l Poyo Loco yet.

0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.760
<v Speaker 1>I'll be in SoCal again in a few months. What

0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:38.520
<v Speaker 1>should I order?

0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:42.719
<v Speaker 3>Oh, that's a hard one. There's so many things. So

0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:47.600
<v Speaker 3>our burritos are awesome. We've got homemade guacamole in all

0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.880
<v Speaker 3>of them, so I would start there. I also love

0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:55.920
<v Speaker 3>our toast autu salad. That's an original favorite. I mean,

0:17:55.920 --> 0:17:59.480
<v Speaker 3>who doesn't love a freshly fried shell. And then if

0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:01.520
<v Speaker 3>you're feeling like you want something a little bit better

0:18:01.560 --> 0:18:03.879
<v Speaker 3>for you, if you just you know, are trying to

0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.120
<v Speaker 3>it's the middle of the week, you're trying to be good.

0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:11.320
<v Speaker 3>Our Poyo fitball is a salad. It has leafy green lettuce.

0:18:12.160 --> 0:18:15.440
<v Speaker 3>You've got the grilled chicken on top. That's a really

0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:19.480
<v Speaker 3>good option. And then you know, if you're an old standby,

0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:21.760
<v Speaker 3>go for the chicken on the bone.

0:18:22.119 --> 0:18:24.480
<v Speaker 1>Okay, all right, you have me at burrito and I'm

0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.439
<v Speaker 1>gonna have to get a side of chicken on the bone.

0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:30.640
<v Speaker 1>I have a I have quite the appetite, So all right,

0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.440
<v Speaker 1>good stuff. Where can listeners go to find their closest

0:18:33.600 --> 0:18:36.200
<v Speaker 1>lpoil loco and what social media channels should we follow

0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:36.520
<v Speaker 1>you on?

0:18:37.440 --> 0:18:40.640
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so you can always go to our website. It's

0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:46.360
<v Speaker 3>pretty intuitive www dot lfoyoloco dot com. And we are,

0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.439
<v Speaker 3>you know, everywhere you'd expect on the social waves. So

0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:54.560
<v Speaker 3>whether it's TikTok or Snapchat and some of the ones

0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.800
<v Speaker 3>that people my age are are still using, which would

0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:03.080
<v Speaker 3>be Instagram, Facebook, my kids are you know, prolific on TikTok.

0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.639
<v Speaker 3>So I've been trying to get myself, you know a

0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:07.760
<v Speaker 3>little more in the spirit.

0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:12.040
<v Speaker 1>Right, Yeah, my son as well. I buckled. I buckled,

0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.560
<v Speaker 1>and I now have a TikTok account. I have stained

0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:17.879
<v Speaker 1>for quite some time, but I'm here now.

0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:19.240
<v Speaker 2>Me too, Me too.

0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:22.760
<v Speaker 1>Well, this is fun. Thanks again, Liz, and please tell

0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:24.320
<v Speaker 1>Ayra I said Hi. I love that guy.

0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:27.200
<v Speaker 2>He's awesome. So lucky to have Ira on the team.

0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:28.760
<v Speaker 2>I will for sure.

0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:30.960
<v Speaker 1>And I want to thank the audience for tuning in.

0:19:31.240 --> 0:19:33.679
<v Speaker 1>If you liked our discussion, please subscribe and leave us

0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.359
<v Speaker 1>a review. Check back next week for an interview with

0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:38.320
<v Speaker 1>Brinker CEO Kevin Hawkman.